Five Good Movies That Are Made Great by Their Transcendent Music
I process many things emotionally, particularly the arts. Movies, music, television, books all have a much better job getting my attention if I connect with them on an emotional level. So, it makes sense that if a movie has music that captures my heart, it will likely capture the rest of me.
This isn’t true 100% of the time as there are movies with lesser scores that I truly love. And there are movies with jaw-dropping music that will never make it on my favorite’s list. But, if I am honest with myself, if the music truly works its magic on me, I’m probably going to love the movie to a borderline unhealthy degree.
Without any more preamble, here are five good movies that are made great by their transcendent music.
Rudy
I love a good sports’ movie and Rudy is easily one of my favorites. Most of the movies in this genre don’t break any new ground and they follow a pretty predictable pattern, but that doesn’t affect how much I enjoy them as long as they do a good job telling the story and hitting all the right emotional beats.
Rudy is anchored by two things: Sean Astin’s performance and Jerry Goldsmith’s iconic score. The movie would work just fine with average music, but it would not have reached the legendary status it now holds. In my humble view, Goldsmith’s work on this film is the template for any great sports biopic. It’s emotional and epic in all the best ways.
The Last of the Mohicans
The first time I watched The Last of the Mohicans, I was probably 16 years old. I was spending the night with one of my best friends. He suggested we watch the movie, as he had seen it a few days before and absolutely loved it. When the movie was over, I just sat there, trying to process my reaction to the film. He asked me if I liked it. I said “Yes, I loved it.” He asked, “Do you want to watch it again?” I said, “Absolutely!” So, we watched it again.
This has long been one of my favorite films, though I readily acknowledge that it has a fairly simple plot with quickly established characters and very little time for deep development. If you need those elements in your movies, this one is probably not for you. But the film isn’t concerned with those things. Director Michael Mann wanted audiences to FEEL the events of this movie, so he painted in big bold colors and called on Trevor Jones and Randy Edleman to fill in all the emotional gaps with a score so transcendent, it almost defies description.
Peter Pan
This movie has been overlooked since the day it came out in theaters back in 2003. For my money, it is the definitive film adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s classic story. It checks nearly every box for me, from the cast to the visual storytelling. It’s a magical film but one that is permeated with a deep sense of melancholy.
I believe all this to be true and can still quibble about a few things here and there that keep it from being a perfect film. But when I’m watching it, those minor imperfections matter very little due to how transported the music of James Newton Howard makes me feel. If you can listen to the track “Flying” and not want to jump out of your window and fly to Neverland, then you belong with Captain Hook and his band of pirates on the Jolly Roger.
How to Train Your Dragon
I’ve written about this one before – you can read my thoughts here. I didn’t love this film when I first saw it. I came around due to how much my boys loved it. The one thing I always loved, though, was the music. John Powell imbues the film with a sense of scale, grandeur, and emotion that is nearly unmatched in animation. Just pick a track. “This is Berk” is whimsical, fun, and stirring. “Test Drive” is as epic as they come. And “Forbidden Friendship” will rock your world, and touch your heart, if you let it. Absolutely perfect emotionally resonant music.
Man of Steel
I am a fan of Zack Snyder’s DC universe. If that’s a dealbreaker for you, you are welcome to move right along. It was a gritty, dark, unique vision and I’m glad we have it alongside more conventional superhero films like the MCU. Man of Steel is probably my favorite film in the DCEU. I think Henry Cavill is a perfect Superman, fully embodying everything that I want to see in the character. The film gets so much about the world and the characters right. It’s not a perfect film but for my money, it’s the best Superman film and James Gunn has a lot to live up to with his reboot of the character with this summer’s Superman.
The key element that brings the film together is the amazing score by Hans Zimmer. We live in a world where John Williams already wrote the perfect Superman theme, so how does a different composer top it? They don’t. Hans Zimmer realized that and instead of trying to outdo Williams’ iconic themes, he simply created his own. Man of Steel is a new superman for modern audiences and the music perfectly complements and augments this. It’s one of Zimmer’s greatest achievements and turns the film into one of my favorites of the last 15 years.
Final Thoughts
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I’ve included one song from each soundtrack. I hope you’ve listened to them as you read through the article.
I know I’m wired differently than most. That becomes more and more obvious as the years go by. I think about things like this in a way that most people that I know do not. My hope in writing articles like this is to generate discussion more than to simply talk about the stuff I love. I want to know if anyone else has examples like this – movies that you love in a large part due to the musical score. If you are like me and can share a few examples, please do so in the comments below or on any of our social media accounts. Thanks for reading and listening!
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